COURSE SYLLABUS

Classes:
Lectures held in STC.136
M, T, W, R   9:00 AM - 10:50 AM

Labs: T,W,R 11:00 - 12:50

Note: All exercises combine both lab and lecture time slots.

Textbooks:
  None

Course Objectives:

1) To engage in some simple field techniques used in ecological and management studies
    to survey habitat and census plant and animal populations.  This will provide an 
    appreciation of the difficulty in obtaining precise and accurate data in field situations.

2) To develop a general understanding of the value of sample size and the need for
    statistics in field research.

3). To demonstrate some ecological principles using data collected in the field.

Course Topics:

For a Class Schedule Click Here

The course will be organized into a series of lectures and a series of field exercises.  Lecture material will basically describe various techniques and their underlying assumptions, advantages and disadvantages.  Ten field exercises are planned:

Instructions for exercises 1, 2, 3.

  Exercise 1: Measuring plant abundance, frequency, and cover.

- Random sampling of plant species using quadrats along a transect
- Estimation of species abundance, frequency, cover

- Point quarter sampling along line transects
- Estimation of forest parameters

- using an Eckman Dredge, Sechi Disk, Plankton Seine

- Use seine nets to capture fish, use removal method to estimate population size.   Note:  For this exercise k-2 df = 5, two-tailed critical value of t at a = 0.05 is 2.571.

- Use seine nets to capture fish, mark/recapture method to estimate population size.

- demonstration of drift fences, sherman traps, etc.
- to be held at TAMU-C wetland.

- evaluate habitat selection in Dragonflies based on point observations

- determine the activity budget of dragonflies along a pond

Grading Scheme:

Undergraduate Students

Reports

     Much of your grade will be based on reports.  These reports will be based on the activities that you conduct in the field.  They are divided in to regular reports, minor reports, and a research report as follows:

Undergraduate Students

Minor reports will not include any written Introduction or Methods Section.  They will only include the results (and any tables or figures) and a statement of conclusions based on those results.  They should normally not be more than 2 pages (not including figures or tables).
     Regular reports should be written like a typical lab report using scientific style.  They should start with a title page and follow the standard scientific format: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion.  For instructions on how to write a lab report please visit the following link:

LAB REPORT LINK

Please keep these reports simple, but thorough (ie. be succinct).  The introduction should briefly introduce the purpose of the excercise and should only be about 1/2 page long.  The methods section should briefly describe all the important equipment, techniques, and measurements made.  This section will be about 1 page long.  The results section should be about 1 page long, should briefly describe the data obtained, any major trends,  and should provide summaries (in the form of figures [graphs] and tables).  Please put all of your figures and tables on separate pages and append them to the back of your report.  Number and label the figures and tables so that you can refer to them in the text of your report.  The discussion should also be about a page long and should briefly describe the important findings and how they relate to the underlying ecology of the study site.  Following this format each report should be 3 to 4 pages long (not including figures and tables).  The best reports will be those which are concise.  Long-winded descriptions and discussion should be avoided.  Zero in on the pertinant details and avoid extraneous information.
     The final report in this course should be written as a research project.  The topic of the project is habitat selection and activity budgets of dragonflies.  This is to be composed like a regular report, but must also include:  an abstract, an introduction that includes references on habitat selection and activities of dragonflies, a comprehensive discussion (with relevant literature citations), and a literature cited section.  Consult a journal to see how to write a research report (Southwestern Naturalist is a good model to follow – see the “Instructions to Authors”).

Final Exam
     The final exam is worth 20% of your total grade.  It will be based entirely on information presented in the classroom lectures (statistical techniques, assumptions, sampling procedures, etc.).  The emphasis will be on theoretical material and will not include any information derived from field activities.

Obligatory Statements:

 Plagiarism is a criminal activity.  You must cite all sources of information.  Copying of material, whether parts of sentences, whole sentences, paragraphs, or entire articles, will result in a score of zero for your assignment and can result in further disciplinary action. 

 Students with Disabilities:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities.  Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation fo their disabilities.  If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact:

 All student enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment.  See Student's Guide Handbook, Policies and Procedures, Conduct. 

Students who are disruptive to class activities will be dropped from the class and may face further disciplinary action.